Is CATS really still on Oasis?!!

[firefly333]

9 hours ago, topnole said:

Didn’t oasis start with Hairspray?   Or was that Allure?   My recollection is Allure was Chicago and Oasis was Hairspray back when they launched.  

Yes I saw hair spray twice early oasis days. .so never saw cats yet on oasis.

[ticketsunlimited]

2 minutes ago, Maitaivegas said:

So I have never seen Cats, I have seen plenty other musicals.

In your opinion what makes Cats so horrible?

Cats

[leaveitallbehind]

2 minutes ago, Maitaivegas said:

So I have never seen Cats, I have seen plenty other musicals.

In your opinion what makes Cats so horrible?

Certainly what appeals to one may not appeal to another.  But that being said, we thought that Cats on Oasis was one of the better Broadway-based shows we've seen on RCCL.  IMO, the worst we've seen was Hairspray.  Over loud, over screamed - not sung, and over done.  I believe it was on Allure when we saw it, and walked out after 20 minutes.  Repeat cruise a year later, thought we'd give it another try as maybe the first time was just an off performance.  Nope - only lasted 10 minutes that time!  LOL.

 

Again, purely subjective.

[binro01]

Lived in New York for many years. We have seen many productions on Broadway, many multiple times. Even on Broadway, we saw Cats once. Just once. There is a reason why they used the tag line “the longest running production on Broadway”. Because it truly feels like an eternity watching that show. I could barely stomach what some consider the best production of that show. The storyline is horrible, 95% of the music is painful, and it’s only redeeming qualities are the set and dance.

Edited February 16, 2022 by binro01

[Sam Ting]

We found it enjoyable. 

[bucfan2]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Yes I saw hair spray twice early oasis days. .so never saw cats yet on oasis.

We don't listen to 'advice', as we give every show it's fair shake.  And we discovered - liking Cats and winning the lottery...about the same odds, but 'somebody's gotta win'.

[love2decor8]

I believe CATS had been on the ship for awhile when we sailed in January of 2020 and I’d read at that time shows typically run 5 years, so was hoping we might luck out. 
 

To answer someones  question about what was/is so bad about CATS……for us it’s just a discombobulated story that is difficult to follow. It’s also very dark and dreary. The actors and music on board were all great but we didn’t care for it on Broadway either, so not their fault. 

 

Anyhow…..we love all the evening entertainment and having CATS as the big show for the 14 of us is enough to try another ship. So, looks like either Harmony or Symphony this trip. Decisions….decisions……

[topnole]

55 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Lived in New York for many years. We have seen many productions on Broadway, many multiple times. Even on Broadway, we saw Cats once. Just once. There is a reason why they used the tag line “the longest running production on Broadway”. Because it truly feels like an eternity watching that show. I could barely stomach what some consider the best production of that show. The storyline is horrible, 95% of the music is painful, and it’s only redeeming qualities are the set and dance.

How many years did Cats stay in NY?  Nearly 20?  I hear all the criticism, but ultimately people voted with their pocketbooks. I find all the criticism so interesting (this includes criticism of the other major versions) given how long it stayed on Broadway.  It didn’t run so long in the Winter Garden Theater because everyone hated it.  A lot of people paid a lot of money to watch it over the years.  That doesn’t tend to happen when a show is bad.  It is just such a weird phenomenon.  
 

Edited February 16, 2022 by topnole

[topnole]

3 minutes ago, love2decor8 said:

I believe CATS had been on the ship for awhile when we sailed in January of 2020 and I’d read at that time shows typically run 5 years, so was hoping we might luck out. 
 

To answer someones  question about what was/is so bad about CATS……for us it’s just a discombobulated story that is difficult to follow. It’s also very dark and dreary. The actors and music on board were all great but we didn’t care for it on Broadway either, so not their fault. 

 

Anyhow…..we love all the evening entertainment and having CATS as the big show for the 14 of us is enough to try another ship. So, looks like either Harmony or Symphony this trip. Decisions….decisions……

I would never pick a ship based on one show.  It is a 90 minute experience if you see it once.  Just not enough on a week long trip to drive a decision for me.  Plus, if it is a new show that hasn’t been seen, who knows if you will even enjoy it.  Cats is far from the only show that is discombobulated and hard to follow.  Some shows involve other ridiculous takes on things and/or involve marginally talented performers.  I’ve seen a few shows (not on ships) people rave about and thought they were horrible.   

Of course we all pick our own trips and ships for whatever reason snd there is no right or wrong way. For me, I’m a 50/50 to go watch the Broadway show no matter what it is.  

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, Maitaivegas said:

So I have never seen Cats, I have seen plenty other musicals.

In your opinion what makes Cats so horrible?

There are no words in the English language that can truly encapsulate the Cats experience.

You have to experience Cats for yourself to really get to know, deep down in your soul, how bad it is. 

😉

[binro01]

32 minutes ago, topnole said:

How many years did Cats stay in NY?  Nearly 20?  I hear all the criticism, but ultimately people voted with their pocketbooks. I find all the criticism so interesting (this includes criticism of the other major versions) given how long it stayed on Broadway.  It didn’t run so long in the Winter Garden Theater because everyone hated it.  A lot of people paid a lot of money to watch it over the years.  That doesn’t tend to happen when a show is bad.  It is just such a weird phenomenon.  
 

I believe it was primarily driven by the tourists. Cats always had tickets available at HotTix in Time Square for 50% off. People come into NYC to visit. One of their bucket list items was to see a broadway play. They go to HotTix, and see Cats available for 50% off, they know the name of that play, and they jump on it.

[alexgtp]

14 hours ago, joeyancho said:

We were on the Oasis two weeks ago and Cats  was still being performed.   It was terrible.  We walked out,  as did many others. 

Can't be worse than Spectre's Cabaret on Anthem.

[topnole]

16 minutes ago, binro01 said:

I believe it was primarily driven by the tourists. Cats always had tickets available at HotTix in Time Square for 50% off. People come into NYC to visit. One of their bucket list items was to see a broadway play. They go to HotTix, and see Cats available for 50% off, they know the name of that play, and they jump on it.

I’m not sure that can explain nearly 20 years staying on Broadway if almost everyone dislikes the show.  A lot of popular shows are sold at discounts like that.   It is a marketing strategy and theaters price accordingly.  
 

But if a show truly sucks, it isn’t going to last for nearly 2 decades on Broadway.  There is a reason folks knew the name of the play.  It was a smashing success and extremely popular in the 80s.   Perhaps momentum carried it for a while, but it was smashingly popular for a long stretch too. 

[Jkaczanowski]

21 minutes ago, binro01 said:

I believe it was primarily driven by the tourists. Cats always had tickets available at HotTix in Time Square for 50% off. People come into NYC to visit. One of their bucket list items was to see a broadway play. They go to HotTix, and see Cats available for 50% off, they know the name of that play, and they jump on it.

I grew up in Connecticut and DH grew up in Long Island.  The other reason it survived so long was all the schoolchildren who were brought into the city every year as a field trip.  Doesn’t make it a good show - just makes them good at marketing. 

[leaveitallbehind]

Just to qualify my "one of the better Broadway-based shows on RCCL," I meant that mainly in terms of production quality and acting by the cast.  Agree that the story line and character personalities leave something to be desired, however.  But at least we were able to sit through and enjoy the performance.

 

IMO many of this genre of production shows with RCCL are way too loud with singing that boarders on screaming, with each cast member trying to outdo the other.  A lot of them fall pretty short of a good production value in that respect IMO.  Not sure why the production managers feel that louder is better.

Edited February 16, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[John&LaLa]

11 hours ago, topnole said:

Didn’t oasis start with Hairspray?   Or was that Allure?   My recollection is Allure was Chicago and Oasis was Hairspray back when they launched.  

 

The ice show, Frozen in Time, is still the same. It's my favorite ice show. 

 

You are correct on the original Oasis and Allure shows

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, alfaeric said:

The only shows I've ever noticed changing on a ship has been the musicals.  So while CATs may be changed, non of the other ones will be.

 

We've been sailing on the Adventure since 2004 (which is shortly after it was launched) and the shows are all exactly the same ones. 

So don't hold your breath.

 

Oasis updated the Aqua show after 10 years

[bajathree]

With over 25 plus Oasis class sailings under my belt that started with the naming ceremony of the Oasis back in 2009....the biggest issue I have with  all these shows is the talent has faded from their original glory when they first started. When they first started with Hairspray on Oasis....(whether it was your thing or not)....the show was truly equal to it's Broadway counterpart...same goes for Chicago. The acting and singing was excellent. However over the years these shows have faded from their glory. They no longer have the talent they had when these shows were first introduced. The same goes for the ice shows...nowhere near the same level they were when they were first introduced.

Edited February 16, 2022 by bajathree

[yogimax]

Cats is my favorite show.  To enhance your experience...

 

1.  Before going, read up on the plot summary so you know what's going on.

2.  Sit toward the front of  the theatre (first 5 rows are ideal), preferably on the right side as you walk in.

     That's where most of the audience interaction takes place.

 

My least favorite show is Grease with its terrible story line.

[ticketsunlimited]

46 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Oasis updated the Aqua show after 10 years

That Oasis Aqua show is absolutely amazing!!  Breath of fresh air for sure.

 

Whats your guess for Wonder John?

[ticketsunlimited]

14 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Cats is my favorite show.  To enhance your experience...

 

1.  Before going, read up on the plot summary so you know what's going on.

2.  Sit toward the front of  the theatre (first 5 rows are ideal), preferably on the right side as you walk in.

     That's where most of the audience interaction takes place.

 

My least favorite show is Grease with its terrible story line.

You missed step 3:

Smoke a bong in the Casino or have Coastal Kitchen round up some magic mushrooms for you. 😉

[bucfan2]

18 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Cats is my favorite show.  To enhance your experience...

 

2.  Sit toward the front of  the theatre (first 5 rows are ideal)

     That's where most of the audience interaction takes place.

 The only place besides your stateroom where the audience/crew ratio is actually less than pax/crew ratio since the restart.

Edited February 16, 2022 by bucfan2

[bucfan2]

6 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

You missed step 3:

Smoke a bong in the Casino or have Coastal Kitchen round up some magic mushrooms for you. 😉

Disagree.

 

Step 3:  Disregard steps 1 & 2.

Step 4:  Smoke bong in casino, skip cats, proceed to Coastal Kitchen for some goodies.

Edited February 16, 2022 by bucfan2

[topnole]

45 minutes ago, bajathree said:

With over 25 plus Oasis class sailings under my belt that started with the naming ceremony of the Oasis back in 2009....the biggest issue I have with  all these shows is the talent has faded from their original glory when they first started. When they first started with Hairspray on Oasis....(whether it was your thing or not)....the show was truly equal to it's Broadway counterpart...same goes for Chicago. The acting and singing was excellent. However over the years these shows have faded from their glory. They no longer have the talent they had when these shows were first introduced. The same goes for the ice shows...nowhere near the same level they were when they were first introduced.

I’m pushing nearly 20 oasis class cruises and I haven’t noticed that myself.  I haven’t sailed since Covid, so I’m not basing this on current performances.  I’ll judge that coming up pretty soon however.  
 

The reality is the big shows are really expensive and complicated when done on a ship (casting, staging, etc.).  They are never going to switch them up enough to satisfy people who cruise multiple times a year on the same ship or  even folks who sail the same ship once a year.  
 

It is much easier to rotate entertainment like singers, variety performers, magicians, etc.   It is a matter of logistics and economics.  So that is what tends to happen.  A lot of this is great stuff.  I enjoy cruising in part because you don’t know what you will see each time in terms of this type of entertainment.  One of my favorite entertainment cruises was a Transatlantic where almost every night we saw an hour plus show of random types.  Almost all were great and we looked forward to something different each night.  No major Broadway show.  Just smaller scale one man/woman or small team performances.  It was great.  

[jndsilver31]

my wife and i have been on 3 oasis class ships, we gave seen chicago (allure), grease (harmony), and symphony (hairspray). my favorite was chicago. i enjoyed the other 2 shows very much. we have seen ice show on the freedom, allure, harmony, and symphony. i think they were all great. shows like everything else on a cruise depends on who is making the comments.